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Phantom Blade Zero PC Requirements and Performance
S-GAME has published four PC requirement tiers, and the headline is simple: an SSD is mandatory at every level, and both the minimum and recommended specs assume upscaling is on.
At a glance
- Minimum
- i7-8700K / Ryzen 5 3600, GTX 1660 6GB, 16 GB RAM, 1080p 30 fps upscaled
- Recommended
- i5-10600K / Ryzen 5 5600X, RTX 3060 Ti 8GB, 16 GB RAM, 1440p 60 fps upscaled
- Ray tracing tier
- RTX 5060 8GB, 1080p 60 fps upscaled
- Path tracing tier
- RTX 5080 16GB, 2160p 60 fps upscaled
- Storage
- SSD required on every tier
- API
- DirectX 12, Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit
The official specifications are unusually honest: both the minimum and recommended tiers assume upscaling is on. Meeting the minimum does not promise a native 1080p image, and meeting the recommended tier does not promise native 1440p. Read the target as "the resolution you set, reconstructed from a lower internal render."
Can my PC run it at 1080p60 or 1440p60?
There is no official 1080p60 tier. The published ladder jumps from 1080p at 30 fps to 1440p at 60 fps, which leaves a wide gap in the middle. Judging by the hardware alone, a card above the GTX 1660 but below the RTX 3060 Ti should land somewhere between those targets, though the exact result depends on scene density and upscaling quality. Treat any middle-tier recommendation you see elsewhere, including this one, as an estimate.
| Tier | CPU | GPU | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | i7-8700K / Ryzen 5 3600 | GTX 1660 6GB / RX 5500 XT 8GB | 1080p 30 fps, upscaled |
| Recommended | i5-10600K / Ryzen 5 5600X | RTX 3060 Ti 8GB / RX 6700 XT 12GB | 1440p 60 fps, upscaled |
| Ray tracing | Not specified | RTX 5060 8GB | 1080p 60 fps, upscaled |
| Path tracing | Not specified | RTX 5080 16GB | 2160p 60 fps, upscaled |
Every tier lists 16 GB of RAM and requires an SSD. The CPU requirement actually drops from the minimum to the recommended tier, which suggests the minimum list is built around older six-core chips rather than a strict performance ladder.
Is an SSD mandatory?
Yes. S-GAME's own requirement page and the Steam listing both state that an SSD is required, not recommended. This is the one spec line a mechanical drive cannot work around. Install to a spinning disk and expect long loads at best, streaming hitches during combat at worst.
Budget the install space on the same drive. A reported Epic backend entry lists a 149.89 GB build requiring 151.50 GB free; that figure is Unconfirmed, but it is the only size estimate available for PC, and it is large enough that a nearly full SSD becomes a real problem.
What do the ray tracing and path tracing tiers need?
The ray tracing tier lists an RTX 5060 8GB at 1080p and 60 fps, upscaled; path tracing jumps to an RTX 5080 16GB at 2160p and 60 fps, upscaled. Both are NVIDIA-only recommendations, and no AMD equivalent has been published for either tier.
NVIDIA's launch driver notes advertise DLSS 4.5, dynamic multi-frame generation and path tracing support for the game, consistent with those tiers. That does not mean every RTX 50-series card can path trace at 4K — the 5080 recommendation is specific.
Which settings should you change first?
Start with the upscaler, because the official targets assume it is on. If the frame rate is still uneven, path tracing and ray tracing are the most expensive switches — drop them first. Shadow and volumetric quality usually cost less visual clarity than turning off reconstruction entirely.
Two practical notes from pre-release coverage: one outlet saw infrequent but severe frame drops on capable hardware, while another held a steady 60 fps at 4K on maximum settings on a top-tier machine. The spread suggests the heaviest scenes, not the average scene, decide whether the experience feels smooth. Cap the frame rate to a value your machine holds consistently rather than chasing an unstable higher number, and keep the game on the SSD.
Does it run on Steam Deck?
Unconfirmed. No Steam Deck verification status has been published, and the Deck's shared-memory GPU sits below the listed minimum hardware. The mandatory SSD and the 16 GB memory floor also make the handheld an awkward fit. If Valve publishes a compatibility rating before launch, it will be the first reliable answer.
What about ultrawide, HDR and controller support?
Steam lists full controller support, including DualSense and DualShock features, plus Steam Input, Steam Cloud and Family Sharing. No official statement covers ultrawide resolutions or HDR, so those remain Unconfirmed. Accessibility tags on the store page include adjustable text size, custom volume, adjustable difficulty and subtitle options.
What is still unconfirmed
- The final installed size and the PC preload date.
- Steam Deck compatibility.
- How the ray tracing tier performs on AMD cards.
- Whether the day-one patch changes the listed requirements.
All four tiers above come from S-GAME's official PC requirements page. Estimated middle-tier performance and settings advice are this site's judgement, not official figures.